Johnny Cueto has not had a good spring training in his debut with the San Francisco Giants and it nearly took a turn for the worse on Monday night.
Cueto was hit with a comeback line drive off the bat of Oakland Athletics outfielder Billy Burns on the first pitch of his second outing with the team. The Giants' medical staff ran out to the field to tend to the right-hander, but he appeared to be fine and stayed in the game for three more innings.
Check it out in the video below:
The 30-year-old allowed three earned runs on five hits and a walk over three innings of work (38 pitches) in the Giants' 10-3 loss. The three-run homer he surrendered to A's outfielder Josh Reddick handed Cueto his second loss of the spring. He's now 0-2 with a 16.62 ERA, 2.54 WHIP and four strikeouts in 4-⅓ innings of work this spring.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after the game that Cueto is "doing well" and was "treated for a contusion." According to Bochy, the veteran starter showed "no signs of (concussion)" and he'll be monitored over the next few days by team doctors.
He passed the league's concussion protocol, but he'll still require attention as its possible he develops lingering symptoms that could slow him down this spring.
San Francisco signed Cueto to a six-year, $130-million contract this offseason and gave him an opt-out clause after the 2017 season. He also has a $22-million team option for 2022 or a $5-million buyout. While his slow start this spring with the Giants might be concerning some, it's probably nothing to worry about. Over his past four spring trainings with the Cincinnati Reds, the right-hander was just 4-8 with a 4.73 ERA in 19 starts.
However, his campaigns during the regular season were much different. He finished top-four in the Cy Young voting two out of those four years and maintained a 2.80 ERA in 110 total starts. The Giants hope he can recapture his abilities prior to arriving with the Kansas City Royals at last year's trade deadline.
If that were to happen, San Fran would possess one of the best - if not the best - starting rotation in baseball with Cueto, Madison Bumgarner, Jeff Samardzija, Jake Peavy and Matt Cain (if healthy)/Chris Heston.
Stay tuned for updates on Cueto's health.
*Major League Baseball now plans to discuss the protective "half-cap" with Cueto.
